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Thornton: El Paso athlete thrives in life

The way you deal with life and its struggles often defines who you are.

Sandra Terrazas, all 5 feet, 2 inches of her, had grand plans of being a college basketball player. Coming out of El Paso High School in 1988, that was her goal. And why not? She was a superstar growing up in Central El Paso. Back in the day when the school housed 8th- through 12th-graders, she made the varsity team her freshman year.

Not only that, she was smart. She was promoted a grade in elementary school and later skipped the seventh grade, starting high school at 12 years old. She graduated when she was just 16.

Terrazas played varsity basketball for head coach Deanna De La Cruz, and in her senior year, she was named the El Paso Times All-City Co-Player of the Year, along with Anne Carroll from Eastwood High School.

During the summer, she would play in the McDonald's Basketball League, where she was named All World, which led to her selection to play in Phoenix at the Basketball Congress International (BCI) tournament. She competed against the best in the nation, including a then-freshman phenom from the Los Angeles Lady Watt Magicians named Lisa Leslie, the same standout who went on to star at USC and in the WNBA, who is often called the greatest player in the world, and later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

But that was not the El Pasoan's fate.

After graduation, Terrazas walked on at New Mexico State University. She didn't make the team, but instead of pouting and feeling sorry for herself, she turned her attention to academics.

While a senior at El Paso, the athletic trainer at the school, Betsy Ighnat (who is still there), planted a seed in her mind about physical therapy, something Terrazas always remembers. She attended UTEP on an academic scholarship and financial aid from 1989 to 1992.

At the time, there was a shortage of physical therapists in El Paso. Providence Hospital was offering recruitment scholarships for individuals to attend physical therapy school, and upon graduation, would have a commitment of working at the hospital for a minimum of two years. Terrazas jumped at the chance and went to Texas Tech University; UTEP did not offer a physical therapy degree at the time.

Terrazas graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. She went on to work at Sierra Medical Center for more than seven years before being recruited to manage Diamond Rehab, a local rehabilitation company. Although that job did not go according to plan, it did provide foresight into her future — owning her own company.

Terrazas opened Spectrum Therapy Consultants in 2006. She now has four locations — Northeast, West Side, Central and Socorro. The Central El Paso location also has a fitness center called Spectrum Fitness. Another division of Spectrum Therapy and Consulting is Home Health Physical Therapy Services, which deals primarily with home-bound individuals.

The successful Terrazas is quick to point out how her family, behind her mother Maria Vasquez and older sister Crystal Vasquez, teachers and administrators are the ones who have always been there for her and helped shape the woman she is today.

And education was always important to Terrazas. She went back to UTEP and earned a master’s degree in kinesiology in 2005 and a master’s degree in business administration in 2008 from the University of Phoenix. In 2006, she was named the El Paso High School Outstanding Ex.

Be it athletics or education, Terrazas lives life to the fullest. In high school she was a tenacious defender with the quickness of a cat, and yet despite her small size, would take taller girls to the hoop with ease. If you wanted to start a basketball team, Terrazas would be your first choice, because as a point guard, she had no fear, was an inspirational leader and was a clever ball handler. And, more importantly, she always had your back.

Even today, she continues to be active. Terrazas has competed in numerous triathlons, and three years ago, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, a distance of 19,000 feet. A year before that, she climbed 15,000 feet to the top of Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

"I did it for the physical challenge," said Terrazas. "But also to make people know we can all do more."

And more she did. Terrazas completed 13 medical missions in Guatemala, a place where she also developed a thrill for hiking volcanoes. She also has a passion for cycling, recently riding the same course that professional riders do during the Tour de France, as well as competing in a similar event called Giro d’Italia in Italy.

Terrazas is now an adjunct professor at UTEP, teaching physical therapy, and also teaches at El Paso Community College and Western Tech College.

She is articulate and passionate about her profession and a tremendous role model for young women. Although she can’t dunk a basketball, Terrazas has helped make life a slam dunk for her patients by being a trusted, true and caring person.

Wayne Thornton is a supporter of community events. He may be reached at 373-6708; wlegend007@gmail.com.